April Challenge: A Green Smoothie Every Day

byJenonMarch 31, 2014

Good morning and happy Monday! I hope that your week is off to a great start!

I think most of us are ready to blast out of this cold weather rut. It’s 34 degrees in Charlotte this morning! We can all agree that it’s been a LONG, COLD winter for everyone. I have put together a little April Challenge to welcome spring and sunshine.

A green smoothie every day in April! I have hosted one previous 7-day Green Smoothie Challenge but I thought we needed to up the ante this time and go for 30!

I love green smoothies and drink them almost daily. I have turned so many friends and clients on to them as an easy way to get in some greens and to sneak them to their kids! The ONLY rule of this challenge is that you drink a green smoothie every day during the month of April. It can be breakfast, lunch, snack or dessert…just get it in somewhere! This challenge is NOT a cleanse or detox. It’s just adding a healthy smoothie into your daily routine that will give you a big dose of all kinds of good vitamins and nutrients.

I want this to be a community building challenge where we can all connect, share ideas and keep each other accountable so I have set up a few things…

1) I will write a weekly check in post reviewing my green smoothies for the week and asking about yours.
2) Use the hashtag #GreenSmoothieChallenge on Instagram and Twitter so we can all keep up with each other.
3) I have created a Pinterest board for inspiration.

If you need help getting started with recipes or ideas check out the Pinterest board and the posts below:

I love green smoothies and used to drink them every day. I don’t think I can drink a smoothie every day this month, since I am going on vacation for a week (unless I lug my HEAVY Vitamix with me). But I’ll try to incorporate green smoothies more often in my diet!

So excited for this challenge! I recently (a few weeks ago) started having a smoothie for breakfast almost every morning and now I can’t stop! I was inspired to give it a try after following your blog for a while. Here’s to 30 days of green smoothies!

I noticed a poster at my work today in the elevator. My entire work building is being challenged with completing a 30-day green smoothie challenge as well! That’s something like 2000 people. They’re handing out samples of green smoothies today. Pretty cool!

I love green smoothies and could definitely use some inspiration for new recipes! One question though….how in the world do you get your green smoothies so bright and green? Mine always turn out sort of a muddy greenish brown. Is there something “green” other than spinach in yours?

I think this is a great idea but can i ask a dumb question…..if all you do is add a green smoothie and not use it to replace something or at least cut calories elsewhere won’t this cause weight gain ? Even when i make my smoothies pretty healthy with greens, fruit, yogurt, milk, protein powder all has added calories, sugar, etc ? Sometimes i find that having only a smoothie for breakfast isn’t enough to fill me up even if i put in protein powder. And sometimes at least for me…fruit is still sweetened so it can actually make me crave sugar if i’m not careful. Just wondering your thoughts on this ?

You might try adding in chia seeds or a bit of oatmeal when blending your smoothie (if you have a vitamix or similar blender). Makes meal replacement a bit more substantial. I also sometimes top mine with a nut butter rather than blending it in, feels more substantial if I can see it .

thanks. i do add flax havent tried chia yet and oatmeal is a good idea. i think for some reason i’m one of those people that more liquid style calories i dont have to chew just seem not to “count” to me as satisfying food but they sure count when it comes to calories/weight ! i guess the light went on for me once when i put the contents of a few smoothies i make tht i think are “healthy” and the calorie count was a huge shocker. i was really underestimating how many calories were in the “healthy” smoothies i make at home !

I’m in. I better get to the store pronto to stock my fridge. 🙂
Here’s a question for you: I can’t eat raw banana due to some weird intolerance (gives me stabbing pain in my tummy. Fun, huh?) Anyway, so many smoothies seem to be made better by an addition of banana. Do you have any good subs for banana in order to give a good texture to the smoothie? Thanks!

Love this idea! I don’t do smoothies often but maybe that’s because we have been in the dread of winter for what seems like forever. With the warmer days upon us I will be craving a more refreshing way to have my veggies rather than roasting them in the oven!

Love this idea! I was hoping to reduce my sweets this month and think this will be a wonderful way to have something delicious without it being processed sugar. I would love any tips you (or other readers) can share on blending green smoothies when you don’t have a high powered blender (no Vitamix for me)!

Good for you! I make one every morning to share with my two-year-old daughter. She loves them! Right now, we’re doing almond milk, vanilla, spinach, banana, almond butter, and frozen strawberries. Delicious! Cheers!

I'm Jen and I'm a personal trainer, yoga teacher and the author of Ultimate Plank Fitness and The Complete Guide to Yoga Inversions. I live in Charlotte, NC and share daily updates about food, fitness, yoga and life with two golden retrievers! You can reach me at jen@peanutbutterrunner.com.